Jennifer Conner grew up in Lakeland and raised her children in the Swan City, providing her a distinct perspective on the housing market and a strong emotional connection to helping locals make some of the most important decisions of their lives.

“Some people have to make very emotional decisions, and that is tough. Others find it is like making any other business decision,” she says. “When our family sold our home and bought a new one about 10 years ago, it was something we wanted to do, but it was very emotional for me.”

Years ago, Jennifer worked in real estate appraisals, and then she worked for a custom home builder. She jokes she “loves the smell of a home under construction,” but ultimately she realized she wanted to be involved with people on a more personal level to make the greatest impact.

The Xcellence Realty veteran says she closely follows the trends and movements within real estate to ultimately do what’s best for each client, treating the process as if she was looking to buy or sell a home for her family.

“I consider myself an exceptional trouble shooter and negotiator,” Jennifer says. “You have to anticipate hurdles before they happen in order to be prepared. I take pride in educating my clients on the process and helping them understand each stage of a transaction.”

She is able to help clients navigate the often arduous process of buying or selling a home in part because of a pipeline she has cultivated to highly recommended local lenders, insurance companies, inspectors and contractors.

Once she equips clients with the latest and greatest information during their search she highly recommends they heavily weigh the pros and cons and “sleep on it” for a night to make the wisest decision for their future.

“I love listening to what people want and making it happen for them!” she says. “You have to have some stamina in this business, it is not as easy as many people think. If I make it look easy, then I have done my job.”

Jennifer’s Top Tips for Buyers in Today’s Market

1 – Choose a reputable and experienced realtor.

Our goal is to keep the bumps in the road to a minimum…hopefully you don’t even feel the bumps.

2 – Start the conversation with your realtor and lender early.

We will educate you on how to get ready for buying or selling and get you in the right “starting position” to achieve your goals.

3 – Be flexible.

Market conditions change, showings get canceled, you get short notice requests, inspection issues come up, changes happen. Understanding this will help you get through the process easier.

What’s the difference between what being a real estate agent is really like and what you thought it was going to be like?

I honestly don’t remember what I thought being a realtor would be like—I just knew I wanted to do it. It was very challenging early on…I started in real estate as the housing market was crashing, but each year I found favor and was blessed with more business year after year. 

You definitely have to find a balance between being an aggressive agent for your clients, listening, being compassionate and being able to adapt and work well with everyone involved in a transaction from beginning to end.